Delivery control apparatus



P 1966 J. DREEBEN 3,273,305

DELIVERY CONTROL APPARATUS Filed 001;. 9, 1963 E FIG. 2

JACK DREEBE/V AITOR/VEV United States Patent 3,273,305 DELIVERY CONTROLAPPARATUS Jack Dreeben, Wyndmoor, Pa. (2601 N. Howard St., Philadelphia,Pa.) Filed Oct. 9, 1963, Ser. No. 315,068 15 Claims. (Cl. 53-78) Thisinvention relates to article delivery control apparatus and moreparticularly to apparatus for delivering predetermined quantities ofarticles, measured as to numher for packaging.

In the delivery of articles for packaging in quantities measured as tonumber or weight difiiculties arise, particularly at the packagemachinery because of jamming of the artciles together at some criticallocation such as at the funnel entrance to the packaging imachine feedtube. Numerous devices have heretofore been proposed for interruptingthe continuous fiow or holding back some of the articles to permitsealing a measured quantity in a package. The time required foroperation or the inertia of the moving parts of the devices heretoforeproposed pre vented utilization of such devices.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide articledelivery control apparatus for measured quantities of articles from acontinuously operating source which provides a timed interruption in theflow and accommodation of the interruption to the operation of apackaging machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide articledelivery control apparatus for measured quantities of articles having amovable receiver for articles to be retained during interruption of thedelivery for package sealing or the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide articledelivery control apparatus which is simple in construction, free fromlikelihood of operating difiiculties and easy to keep clean.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide articledelivery control apparatus which includes a rotating platform or tablewhich serves as a temporary storage location to accommodateinterruptions in continuous flow of articles to be packaged.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide article feedcontrol apparatus which permits of measured delivery of articles to bepackaged at speeds many times greater than heretofore.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will beapparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be morereadily understood from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of article feed control apparatus inaccordance with the invention applied to a packaging machine;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, enlarged, of the feed controlapparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken approximately onthe line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on the line 55of FIG. 4.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawingsherein are illustrative merely, and that vari ous modifications andchanges can be made in the structure disclosed without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, for purposes of explanationit may be noted that it has heretofore been ice proposed to providepackage making machines which include a web roll having thereon a supplyof sheet material to be made into a succession of longitudinally sealedtubular packages with transverse seals at each end.

The prior package making machines also included a funnel 10 havingtherebelow a forming shoe 11 to which the sheet material was advancedfrom the supply on the web roll, the advancing being effected by a pairof horizontally separable gripping jaws 12 in engagement with thetubular web. The gripping jaws 12, customarily provided with heatsealing portions 13 were reciprocated in a vertical path by theirsupports 14, the length of the stroke determining the length of thepackage. The supports 14 were separated at the bottom of the stroke andmoved upwardly in open position, then closed at the top of their stroketo bring the heat sealing portions 13 of the jaws 12 into grippingrelation to the tubular conformation of the sheet material provided bythe forming shoe 11.

Either during a period of rest or during the downward movement of theweb of sheet material a longitudinal seal was provided by a longitudinalheat sealer 15 and the articles were delivered into the tubular formedweb through a filling tube 17 formed as a continuation of the funnel 10and interiorly disposed in spaced relation to the forming shoe 11.

During the downward movement of the jaws 12, also, a transverse seal wasapplied to the tubular sheet material which was severed intermediate thetop and bottom margins of the transversely sealed area so that thetransverse seal provided a sealed transverse top margin of the filledpackage and a sealed transverse bottom margin of the package to befilled. Repetition of the operations just referred to provided asuccession of filled, sealed and separated packages.

Control apparatus in accordance with the invention is shown generally at16.

The continuous feeding of articles to be packaged, where an exact countis desired, has resulted in difficulties in relation to the timedoperation of the packaging machine and particularly with some articlesjamming together at the entrance to the funnel 10.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2 to 5 of the drawings apreferred embodiment of delivery control apparatus 16 in accordance withthe invention is there illustrated.

A main article delivery conveyor 20 is provided by which the articlesare delivered for packaging. Aligned with the conveyor 20 for receivingthe articles therefrom a horizontal conveyor 21 is provided, whichincludes an endless belt 22 mounted on supporting rollers 23 and 24. Therollers 23 and 2-4 are shown as carried by shafts 25 and 26,respectively, journa led in a frame 27. A belt tightening roller 28 canbe provided, mounted on the frame 27 and engaging the belt 22.

The belt 22 can be driven in any desired manner such as by a drivingbelt 29 engaging a pulley 30 secured to the shaft 26 and in turn drivenby a motor 31.

The frame 27 has a control gate mounted thereon on a horizontal pivotpin 36, the gate 35' preferably having a concavely curved face 37 tofacilitate the movement of the articles advanced by the belt 22.

The gate 3 5 can be controlled as to its position with respect to thedischarge end of the conveyor belt 22 in any desired manner. A suitablemechanism for this purpose includes a solenoid 38 pivotally mounted onthe frame 27 and having an armature 39 with a pivotal connection 40 tothe gate 35. The solenoid 38 has energizing leads 41.

The solenoid 38 can be controlled as desired but as shown a lightsensitive cell 42 is provided for sensing articles as they pass.

The light cell 42 can have a light source 43 oppositely 3 disposed sothat the cell 42 can furnish current pulses corresponding to thearticles to a counter 45, adjustable as to the number of pulses requiredto provide an output pulse to the leads 41.

The counter 45 can have a gate reset pulse applied thereto in anydesired manner, such as by the movement of the jaws 12 or support 14.

The gate 35 in open position does not obstruct the flow of articleswhich can move freely olf the end of the belt 22 and into the funnel 10.

The gate 35 in lowered position diverts the articles and a rotary table50 is provided for receiving the same. The table 50 is mounted on avertical stub shaft 51 journaled in a horizontal bracket plate 52 whichis carried by the frame 27. The table 50 can be actuated in any desiredmanner but preferably has a vertical endless band 53 in engagement withthe major portion of its periphery.

The band 53 is supported and positioned by rollers 54 and 55 journaledin the plate 52 which hold the band 53 in peripheral engagement and issupported by spaced rollers 56, 57 and 58, also journaled in the plate52, which guide the portions of the band which are remote from theperiphery of the table 50. The open space along the periphery of thetable 50 between the rollers '54 and 55 is of the order of one sixteenthof the periphery and is located with respect to the funnel (see FIG. 3)so as to discharge an article which has been moved around on the table50 by centrifugal action into the space above the funnel 10.

The band 53 can be driven in any desired manner to rotate the rotarytable 50, one suitable drive comprising a pulley 59 on one of therollers such as the roller 55, connected by a belt 60 to a pulley 61carried on the shaft 26.

The mode of operation will now be pointed out.

The conveyor in its normal movement delivers, preferably in a singleline, the articles to be packaged, onto the conveyor belt 22. Theconveyor belt 22 advances carrying the articles thereon to the funnel 10for discharge thereinto. When the gate 35 is in its elevated or openposition (see FIG. 2) the free discharge of articles into the funnel 10is effected.

In the normal operation of a packaging machine of the type illustrateddiagrammatically in FIG. 1, the jaws 12 draw the packaging material fromthe source over the shoe 11 and downwardly around the forming tube 17.During the downward movement of the jaws 12 a longitudinal seal can beprovided by the sealer '15, and transverse sealing of the packagingmaterial is effected. The transverse sealing provides a bottom boundaryof the package, a top boundary of a previously filled package, andsevering between the boundaries can be elfected to separate thepreviously formed package. During the downward movement of the packagingmaterial by the jaws 12, the articles to be packaged are delivered toand through the funnel 10 and forming tube 17.

At the bottom of their downward path the jaws 12 separate, move upwardlyto the upper end of their stroke and come together into grippingengagement with the paclkaging material, and move downwardly repeatingtheir eye e.

As the jaws 12 are coming together at the upper part of their stroke anyarticles present at that location would be gripped and the transverseseal could not be effected.

The gate 35, controlled as hereinafter explained with the table 50,obviates the difficulty just referred to as to jaw operation.

The counter 45 is adjusted so as to perform its operation in properrelation to the jaw cycle so that as the jaws 12 .close feed of articlesinto the funnel 10 is temporarily discontinued.

This is effected by a count of articles passing the photosensitive cell42, of predetermined number, causing the solenoid 38 to be energized tomove the armature 39 to lower the gate 35. The gate 35, in loweredcondition (see FIG. 4), causes articles to be diverted by the face 37 ofthe gate downwardly onto the table which, for discharge thereon at oneside of the funnel is rotating clockwise. The articles deposited ontothe table 50 move around in a generally circular path and are dischargedcentrifugally from the table 50 at the open location between the belt 22and the roller 55.

The band 53 not only rotates the rotary table 50 but by its movementwith the table 50 facilitates the movement of the articles. The timeelapsed between the delivery of one of several articles onto the table50 and the discharge of that article into the funnel 10 provides thenecessary time interval to permit closing of the jaw 12 for theirdownward movement without an article being caught therebetween.

The solenoid 38 can be reset in any desired manner, by a built inadjustable timing device in the counter 45, by the attainment of apredetermined count at the counter 45, or by a contact carried by one ofthe jaws -12.

The cycle of retention of articles can be repeated continuously as thepackage formation is continuously carried out.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for controlling the delivery of articles to a packagingmachine having reciprocable jaws for advancing packaging material toform a package comprising a linearly advancing article carrying meanshaving a discharge end, a movable gate at said discharge end and havinga plurality of positions for article delivery control, a member forreceiving articles for delivery to the packaging machine, and a memberfor temporary reception of articles, said gate positions determining theselective delivery of articles to said members.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is amovable table.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is a rotarytable.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is a rotarytable and a peripheral portion of said table is in article deliveryrelation to said first member.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said last member is a rotarytable and has a band around a portion of the periphery thereof.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said band is movable withsaid table.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said band is movable and isin driving engagement with said table.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 having a light sensitive member forcontrolling the positioning of said gate.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 having a counter for controlling saidgate and a light sensitive member for controlling said counter inscanning relation to said carrying means.

10. In combination with an article packaging machine having an articledelivery tube, a conveyor for delivering articles to said tube, andmeans for diverting articles interposed between conveyor and said tubecomprising a movable article storage member, a gate for divertingarticles onto said storage member, and article controlled control meansfor said gate.

11. The combination defined in claim 10 in which said article storagemember is a rotary table having a discharge portion communicating withsaid delivery tube.

12. The combination defined in claim 10 in which said article storagemember is a rotary table, and said table has a movable band extendingaround a portion of the periphery of said table, said band having spacedportions along said periphery for discharge of articles to said deliverytube.

13. The combination as defined in claim 12 in which said article storagemember is a rotary table, said conveyor extends across and is terminatedinwardly from the pea riphery of said table, said table has a movableband extending around a portion of the periphery thereof and said tablehas an open peripheral portion communicating with said delivery tube.

14. The combination as defined in claim 12 in which said article storagemember is a rotary table, said table has a movable band around a portionof the periphery thereof, and common driving means is provided for saidconveyor and said band.

15. The combination as defined in claim 14 in Which said band is indriving engagement with said rotary table.

No references cited.

TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO A PACKAGINGMACHINE HAVING RECIPROCABLE JAWS FOR ADVANCING PACKAGING MATERIAL TOFORM A PACKAGE COMPRISING A LINEARLY ADVANCING ARTICLE CARRYING MEANSHAVING A DISCHARGE END, A MOVABLE GATE AT SAID DISCHARGE END AND HAVINGA PLURALITY OF POSITIONS FOR ARTICLE DELIVERY CONTROL, A MEMBER FORRECEIVING ARTICLES FOR DELIVERY TO THE PACKAGING MACHINE, AND A MEMBERFOR TEMPORARY RECEPTION OF ARTICLES, SAID GATE POSITIONS DETERMINING THESELECTIVE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO SAID MEMBERS.